Abstract

In late 2006, Apache became operator of several license blocks totaling 2950 km2 in the province of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. As the first part of an extensive exploration and development program, Apache's Exploration and Technology group immediately started work on covering the newly acquired blocks with fit-for-purpose 3D seismic, intending to acquire all the areas in a single campaign lasting up to 12 months. The imaging objectives of the surveys ranged from development of existing fields to pure exploration in the sparsely mapped blocks that formed the majority of the area, and led to several geometries and acquisition solutions being developed, some redesigned and implemented on the fly during acquisition.